Curd press and cooler.



No. 893,435. PATENTED JULY 14, 1908.

J. BROUWERS.

GURD PRESS AND COOLER.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT.17, 1907.

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. WITNESSES: INVENTOR.

6 W W/ZWQMZM ATTORNEY.

JOHN BROUWERS, OF ZEELAND, MICHIGAN.

CURD PRESS AN]? COOLER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 14, 1908.

Application filed September 17, 1907. Serial No. 393,331.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN BROUWERS, a citizen of the United States of America, residing at Zeeland, in the county of Ottawa and State of Michigan, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Curd Presses and Coolers; and I do hereby de-' clare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention relates to an improved curd press and cooler, and its object is to provide a device adapted to simultaneously press and cool cheese curds to provide the same with convenient means for cleaning and drainage; and to provide the device with various new and useful features hereinafter more fully described and particularly pointed out in the claims.

My device consists essentially of an outer case having an inclined bottom for drainage, tapered slats or bars resting on the bottom and spaced a art, a removable front to the case, a vertica ly' movable and weighted follower, and means for raising and supporting the follower, as will more fully appear by reference to the accompanying drawlngs, in which:

Figure 1 is a front elevation of a device embodying my invention with parts broken away; Fig. 2. a plan view of the same with partsremoved; and, Fig. 3. a vertical sectional detail of the lower part of the case.

Like numbers refer to like parts in all of the figures.

1 represents the case, having a removable front 2, vertically slidable in grooves 3 in the ends of the case. This front rests on the shouldered wider ends of transverse bars 5, which are spaced apart to permit escape of fluid therebetween, which bars rest upon a forwardly and downwardly inclined bottom 4 of the case and are retained in place by engagement of the front with the shoulders and extend beneath the front, this inclination serving to drain the fluid that escapes between the bars, which escapes beneath the front into any convenient receptacle (not shown). At the front the bars are wider than at the rear sufficient to compensate for the slant of the bottom. The bars thus present a level surface upon which the curd is placed,

which curd is first inclosed in sacks of porous material to retain the curd and permit escape of the whey therefrom. Between these sacks is placed ice or other refrigerating material whereby the curd is cooled and fermentation prevented. To press these 'sacks andtheir contents, a follower 6 is vertically movable in the case and consisting of a box shaped structure within which is placed a sufficient quantity of weights to effect the necessary and proper pressure upon the contents of the device. To raise this follower, a rotative shaft 7 extends hori zontally above the case on which shaft is Wound chains 8, which support the follower 6. Rotary motion is imparted to this shaft to wind the chains thereon, by means of a gear 9 fixed on the shaft and engaging a train of gears 11 connecting the gear 9 with a pinion 1O manually operated by a crank 13, and held from turning by a pawl 12 when the follower is raised. 1

In operation the front 2 of the case is removed, the follower 6 raised and the sacks containing the curd, and the ice, are placed on the bars 5 and the front replaced. The pawl 12 is then released, which permits the follower to descend and as the sacks settle and the ice melts, the follower maintaining constant pressure upon the sacks, while the curd is drained, pressed and cooled and the water and whey escape between the bars.

For cleaning purposes, the front 2 and the bars 5 are removed and the interior of the case and the bars can then be washed or otherwise cleaned, as occasion requires.

What I claim is:

1. In a curd press and cooler, a case having a removable front, an inclined bottom in the case, removable bars in the bottom of the case spaced apart and supporting the front, a weighted follower vertically movable in the case, and means for hoistlng and supporting the follower.

2. In a curd press and cooler, a case hav ing an inclined bottom and a removable front spaced apart from the bottom, detached tapered bars on the bottom, a vertically movable weighted follower in the case, and means for hoisting and supporting the follower.

3. In a curd press and cooler, a case having vertical grooves in its ends, a detachable front slidable in the grooves, an inclined bot- In testimony whereof I afiix my signature V tom to the case, tapered bars detached from in presence of two witnesses.

the case and having shouldered ends extending beneath the front and supporting the JOHN BROUWERS' 5 same, a weighted follower vertically movable Witnesses:

in the ease, and means for hoisting and sup-- PALMER A. JONES,

porting the follower. LUTHER V. MOULTON. 

